Sarah Thompson sat across from Ethan in a dim café, her laptop casting a faint glow on her sharp features. In her early thirties, with dark hair pulled into a tight ponytail, she exuded a quiet intensity—a reporter's focus honed by years of digging into the unsavory. She scanned Ethan's notes, her skepticism warring with curiosity.
"History rewritten every seven years?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. "That's a bold leap, Ethan."
"Not just rewritten," he said. "Manipulated. Memories too. No one notices because it's seamless."
She leaned back, crossing her arms. "You know how this sounds. Why should I buy it?"
"Because you believed me about Elara," Ethan countered. "That was crazy too, and you stuck with me."
She sighed, conceding the point. "Okay, show me what you've got."
He handed her a folder—timelines, the Weave report, Dr. Grant's notes. "It's all here. And there's a scientist, Dr. Alexei Petrov, who worked on it at the Chronos Institute. He's ready to talk."
Sarah's eyes lit up at "Chronos." "I know that name. A think tank—high-tech, secretive. What's Petrov saying?"
"That The Weave uses quantum tech to alter records and perceptions," Ethan explained. "Every seven years, it updates, tweaking the past to suit whoever's pulling the strings."
Sarah whistled softly. "If we can prove this, it's massive. But we need hard evidence, not just a whistleblower."
"That's why I need you," Ethan said. "Your contacts, your skills—I can't do this without you."
She studied him, then softened. "You trust me because of Elara, but this feels personal for you. Why me, really?"
Ethan met her gaze. "Because you fight for the truth, no matter the cost. And I know you've taken on giants before."
Sarah nodded, a flicker of memory crossing her face. "A few years back, I broke a story on a tech firm—data mining, illegal as hell. They came after me hard—lawsuits, threats. I won, but it taught me how much they hide. Then there's my brother, David."
Ethan leaned in. "What happened?"
"He was a programmer," she said, voice tight. "Brilliant, but reckless. Two years ago, he vanished. Before he did, he mentioned 'Project Chronos.' I thought it was just a job, but now…"
"You think it's tied to The Weave?" Ethan asked.
"Maybe," she admitted. "If it is, I need to know. For him."
Ethan nodded. "Then we're in this together. If David was involved, this could lead us to the core."
They strategized: Sarah would tap her network to probe Chronos and find Petrov, while Ethan and Dr. Grant hunted more anomalies. They'd reconvene in a week. As they parted, Sarah grabbed his arm.
"Watch yourself," she warned. "If this is real, they won't hesitate to silence you."
"I know," Ethan said. "But we're too close to stop."
Sarah's belief in Ethan was rooted in their shared history and her own battles with hidden truths. David's disappearance fueled her drive, merging her quest for closure with Ethan's mission. As she watched him go, a knot tightened in her stomach. This wasn't just a story—it was a reckoning.